We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Earl Gray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Earl, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
I started acting when at 16 and moved to Hollywood at 22. I have always been bothered by the reality that most of being an actor is working at and waiting for someone else to say “yes”. So much time and effort is spent trying to convince those making films to let you perform your craft. After eventually returning to Seattle and creating a successful career in technology I realized the film industry was rapidly evolving. In addition to the way we consume films radically changing with streaming, the way films are made was shifting to digital, and the technical cost of making films began to plummet. Films made with cameras costing a million dollars could now be made with equipment costing a few thousand. The trick is to know how to use the equipment and perform all the functions necessary to produce a film. I get bored easily. I was led to an epiphany after taking psychological tests for a Fortune 50. Learning (everything) has always been my true passion. Not competition. Not “success” Once I feel like I have learned something enough to understand it, I tend to move on. What I discovered is between acting and the technical aspects of filmmaking, the journey to learn is endless. far too much to learn in one lifetime, and when you get close on any one aspect, it all changes. And so through various mentors and colleagues, I set out to learn how to make films. Creating a production company (Day/Night Pictures) became an obvious next step.
Earl, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a strange fellow, somehow evenly positioned between art and technology. I grew up with parents that loved art, music, and photography, and yet were VERY technical people with numerous degrees ranging from geology and biology to electronics and psychology. Not many kids I know grew up with a working IBM System 3 as a coffee table. Always curious and always interested in “getting things done” by the melding of art with technology, I have always been a “hands-on” person that wanted to understand how to actually do things. That has led to everything from making my first stop-action animated short in the 7th grade to sending cameras into near space at 50. What I have found is that ideas are somewhat overrated. Ideas are absolutely necessary, but there is so much more required to bring ideas to fruition. Many people believe ideas are the most important part of the process, and coming up with great ideas is all it takes. In film, I have found that while good ideas are required, they are plentiful, and rather the execution is actually more important and more difficult to accomplish. So while I pride myself on good ideas, I have learned to be skilled at a myriad of other aspects necessary to make great ideas into a quality film.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to make films I would like to watch. Obviously, that is a very broad statement, but I am very lucky in that I have had a career that has afforded me the luxury of not having to make a living at filmmaking and so I see it slightly different than some. I am not in a hurry to produce anything, nor do I need to take on projects that don’t inspire me to pay the bills. Sure I would like others to see and enjoy my work, but what really motivates me is making quality films that I find interesting. My goal is to both learn enough and have the necessary technical capabilities and partners to create world-class films. Someone once said; “A writer needs only a pen, but a filmmaker needs an army.” I have found that to be true. It takes a large number of talented and dedicated people (on both sides of the camera) to make a great film. And all of it has to come together at the right time, in front of the camera. My goal is to assemble all that in one place and capture it.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Making films is hard. From the original concepts to the screenplay. From getting the right actors to craft services, there are a thousand moving parts and they all must come together at the right time to capture the “lighting in a bottle” that is an exceptional film. A surprising number of projects never make it to completion, stalling at one of the various stages along the way. Many have great ideas, and the film industry can obviously get films made. The industry however is undeniably changing. While “blockbuster” films with equally enormous budgets are being made, new opportunities to create and distribute quality “indie” films at a lower cost have also arisen. The principles of Day/Night Pictures and now the resulting production company have quickly earned a reputation for getting things done. We have completed every project we have embarked on and won awards for every film we have produced. All at a fraction of the cost of other films.
Contact Info:
- Website: DayNightPictures.com
- Instagram: @DayNightPicturesActual
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DayNightPictures
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_MIlsxLbd8L9HEjSjJ4Rg
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/c_LQ81LQW8ePriBTFBxnMQ